gold/silver ratio

[master nater]

there is a lot of discussion of historic silver/gold ratios. many different time periods sampled held silver anywhere from 5:1 all the way to 20:1. today, we're well over 100:1. so what has changed? demand. the demand for silver is gone because today, silver is not widely sought after as a trading medium (a.k.a. - currency). i believe that as soon as the common man realizes that they're being shadow-taxed 4-10% of their buying power every year, and calling it 'inflation', people will wise-up and being trading goods and services again. the easiest barter medium is gold and silver. that's why it's forever been the historical standard for all of human history. i have began offering online trades in either cash, gold, or silver. i have only found a few takers. but my hope is to normalize trading through tangible barter, using gold and silver. IMO, once silver becomes a commonly-used trading medium again, it's value will skyrocket back to the historical 1:15 ratio vs gold. as for the demand of gold dropping, to correct this ratio, i do not see demand for gold dropping any time soon, with governments eating it up as fast as they can to correct the downward spiral of their own faux-currencies.

so my question to everyone is, what have each of YOU done to try to boost silver's common usage?

 

[daemon86]

Good point about the shift in silver's role from currency to mostly industrial use, and the historical ratios are definitely eye-opening. Personally, ive started small by using silver in peer2peer trades and gifting it to friends and fam to spark interest.

 

[SeriousJoker]

what have each of YOU done to try to boost silver's common usage?

Used a silver spoon to eat my cereal this morning

Just kidding. The thing with these kinds of things is that it comes down to demand. There were times when silver was a thing which is why the value was closer to gold. Today things are different, so the difference is massive. Throw in the modern era and all the practical investment options and these materials are on the verge of becoming obsolete. I think the only reason gold is still a thing is because governments and banks are relying on it for showing worth and value.

 

[maxwellsilverhammer]

i actually did use a silver spoon for my coffee just now. as i always use sterling to eat with. i doubt your idea of silver and gold becoming obsolete is absolutely wrong. we shall see

 

[master nater]

my original comment was geared towards people waking up to the inflation shadow-tax of holding wealth in digital currency and paper currency, and having that surge of re-use of precious metals as a currency as well as government's trying to validate their own currency's value and hedging against inflation. but you make a good point towards everyday consumption of precious metals as a driving factor to its demand. if we are going to factor demand in terms of everyday uses of precious metals, i'd be negligent if i failed to mention a few of the following that did not exist 100 years ago in the abundance they do today:

- silver contact points in lighting switches, circuit breakers, industrial contactors and relays
- PMs in electronics, especially those with processors like your smart-phone, smart-tv, laptop, and car
- PMs jewelry (yes, they were around, but not in today's concentrations nor size of populations)
- collodial silver uses
- solar panels (silver)

 

[SLAIN]

I'm with @master nater on the inflation point. People don't realize how quickly their cash loses value until it's too late. I've mostly been stacking and using silver in small trades just to keep the habit alive.